Movietown Movie Club: ‘Carrie’ repeats mistakes

Published: Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 08:58 PM.

I’m not opposed to Hollywood remakes, and Brian De Palma’s 1976 horror classic “Carrie,” based on the Stephen King novel of the same title, is a film with correctable flaws that could have yielded a worthwhile 2013 version. It didn’t.

For the most part it’s just a carbon copy, ignoring some areas of possible improvement such as delving deeper into the mother-daughter relationship, looking at the sociology of bullying, or exploring the horror of vengeful ethics. Instead, the 2013 “Carrie” settled for throwing in some cell phones. While this clear technology motif worked fine, it cannot be the vehicle behind remaking a great film. Knowing this, the two new writers and director Kimberly Pierce stretched “Carrie” into some catastrophic territory.

Their primary misstep is in making Carrie (Chloe Grace Moretz, in the role formerly portrayed by Sissy Spacek) a hero. The original did a great job of leaving her as a victim, while this film couldn’t help but elevate her from victim to hero. This is shown immediately in the new opening scene as Carrie is being born, a scene that stands as a microcosm of the whole movie: unnecessary and damning.

There are other miscues as well, such as the poor CGI throughout much of the final climactic sequence, the poor casting of Carrie, and the hilariously poor dialogue — even by b-movie horror standards. Still, it won’t ruin the original, but its real sin is in adding nothing noteworthy.

I’m not opposed to Hollywood remakes, and Brian De Palma’s 1976 horror classic “Carrie,” based on the Stephen King novel of the same title, is a film with correctable flaws that could have yielded a worthwhile 2013 version. It didn’t.

For the most part it’s just a carbon copy, ignoring some areas of possible improvement such as delving deeper into the mother-daughter relationship, looking at the sociology of bullying, or exploring the horror of vengeful ethics. Instead, the 2013 “Carrie” settled for throwing in some cell phones. While this clear technology motif worked fine, it cannot be the vehicle behind remaking a great film. Knowing this, the two new writers and director Kimberly Pierce stretched “Carrie” into some catastrophic territory.

Their primary misstep is in making Carrie (Chloe Grace Moretz, in the role formerly portrayed by Sissy Spacek) a hero. The original did a great job of leaving her as a victim, while this film couldn’t help but elevate her from victim to hero. This is shown immediately in the new opening scene as Carrie is being born, a scene that stands as a microcosm of the whole movie: unnecessary and damning.

There are other miscues as well, such as the poor CGI throughout much of the final climactic sequence, the poor casting of Carrie, and the hilariously poor dialogue — even by b-movie horror standards. Still, it won’t ruin the original, but its real sin is in adding nothing noteworthy.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Longtime Panama City resident Cole Schneider, born in Long Beach, Calif., always has preferred popcorn and a movie to a long walk on the beach.

Matt: “Carrie” falls short

“Carrie” is the most recent horror retread to come out of Hollywood’s “We’re-out-of-ideas!” machine, and like its many predecessors (“Halloween,” “Evil Dead,” etc.) it falls short of the original. Maybe it’s unfair to compare this film to a classic, but “Carrie” is asking for it, being such a literal remake, even down to the framing of some shots. And where it does deliver freshness, specifically in a brand new opening scene and its handling of Carrie’s powers, it stumbles.

The film follows Carrie (Moretz), an outcast teenager who juggles fitting in at school and dealing with her overtly religious, abusive mother (Moore). On top of this, she is discovering that she may have telekinesis, which causes more harm than good.

Moore is the standout in the cast, but that’s not saying much, as most of the acting is one-dimensional and the dialogue is idiotic. Moretz, normally a strong presence, simply lacks the natural sadness, strangeness and imminent menace of Spacek’s Carrie.

It’s a bad sign in horror films when scenes intended to frighten evoke laughs, and “Carrie” has it in spades. Even though the unique and dynamic story and mother-daughter relationship keep this from being a complete bore-fest, what we’re left with is a bad teen drama parading around as a supernatural horror film that simply pales in every aspect to the original.

Panama City Beach musician Matt Greene, who has a bachelor’s in philosophy from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, always has enjoyed viewing, debating and critiquing all forms and aspects of film, from foreign films to slapstick comedies.

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